Playoff fever has grip on local high school athletes

Soccer, volleyball on tap today

By Richard T. Estrada
restrada@modbee.com

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It doesn't matter what your favorite sport is, there's something for everyone this week.

The wildest week of the fall high school sports season got under way Monday with the Girls NorCal Golf Championship and will continue at a frenetic pace through Saturday.

Playoffs for water polo, tennis, volleyball, cross country and soccer are this week, and today's the busiest day of all.

There are 68 Sac-Joaquin Section playoff events today: 40 in volleyball, 28 in soccer.

Section team tennis playoffs also began Monday, and the individual tournaments will be Thursday and Friday.

Now toss in the last week of regular-season football, and a Saturday schedule featuring seven title matches and cross country championships, and it could be a week of madness.

Not enough? In the midst of all of Saturday's drama, the section will also be releasing its football playoff brackets.

If you're a dedicated sports fan, stock up on supplies and make sure the gas tank is full.

Here are some highlights:

SOCCER: Champions from the MMC and CCC were upset in Friday's first round, but runners-up Downey and Golden Valley advanced to today's quarterfinals. Downey visits Franklin of Stockton at 5 p.m.

Downey could have a tough one: Franklin was the league champ over Lodi, and it was Lodi that upset MMC champ Modesto in the first round.

It's a busy day in Ceres, too,as both high schools are hosting Division 4 matches: Central Valley at 3 and Ceres at 6.

It's all Stanislaus District schools in D5, including first-round showdowns featuring Escalon at Hilmar and Riverbank hosting Calaveras at 3.

Missing from the bracket is Linden, which beat Patterson in last year's D5 title match.

WATER POLO: The district took a big hit in last week's opening round, with five of the six boys' teams and four of the six girls' teams losing.

The focus shifts to Tokay of Lodi Wednesday, with matches featuring Johansen vs. St. Mary's girls and Oakdale vs. St. Mary's boys. History says it will be a difficult road: The last district boys team to play for a title was Golden Valley, which lost in 2000, and the last girls team in the final was Johansen, which lost in 2003.

VOLLEYBALL: Forty games in five divisions, but the good thing is the field will be cut in half tonight. The tournament is spread over nine days, with finals Nov. 19 at UC Davis.

MMC champ Modesto is the No. 3 seed in D1, and the Panthers get the benefits of such a high seed by hosting No. 14 Vintage of Napa tonight and then hosting a quarterfinal Thursday should they win.

Here's a scary thought, however. If Modesto wins tonight, it's likely going to host Nevada Union -- the seven-time defending section D1 champion.

Both Atwater schools are in the D2 field, but while No. 3 Atwater hosts Elk Grove, Buhach Colony visits Wood of Vacaville in an 8 vs. 9 battle.

The Valley Oak League has a similar situation: No. 2 Sonora is favored to win its first couple of matches in D3, but VOL runner-up Oakdale has Dixon tonight in an 8 vs. 9 battle and would visit three-time defending champ St. Mary's in Thursday's quarterfinals.

The challenge for D4 teams is to be in a bracket opposite mighty Christian Brothers, a four-time defending champ. TVL champ Ripon managed that, earning a No. 3, but TVL runner-up Escalon is a No. 4 and would likely get CB in the semifinals if it wins twice.

Vacaville Christian is seeded No. 2 and would likely be Ripon's foe in a semifinal, but Vacaville is a few steps below CB when it comes to talent.